[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 99 (Monday, July 6, 2009)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D781-D782]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                               Monday, July 6, 2009

[[Page D781]]

                              Daily Digest


HIGHLIGHTS

      See Resume of Congressional Activity.
      Senate passed H.R. 2918, Legislative Branch Appropriations Act.


                                 Senate


Chamber Action
Routine Proceedings, pages S7115-S7151
Measures Introduced: Six bills and one resolution were introduced, as 
follows: S. 1394-1399, and S. Res. 207.                      
  Page S7138
Measures Reported:
  Reported on Thursday, July 2, during the adjournment:
  S. 1390, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2010 for 
military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year. (S. 
Rept. No. 111-35)
  S. 1229, to reauthorize and improve the entrepreneurial development 
programs of the Small Business Administration, with an amendment in the 
nature of a substitute. (S. Rept. No. 111-36)
  S. 1233, to reauthorize and improve the SBIR and STTR programs and 
for other purposes, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. 
(S. Rept. No. 111-37)
  S. 1391, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2010 for 
military activities of the Department of Defense, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year.
  S. 1392, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2010 for 
military construction.
  S. 1393, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2010 for defense 
activities of the Department of Energy.                      
Page S7138
Measures Passed:
  Legislative Branch Appropriations Act: By 67 yeas to 25 nays (Vote 
No. 217), Senate passed H.R. 2918, making appropriations for the 
Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, as 
amended, after taking action on the following amendments proposed 
thereto:                                                 
  Pages S7121-32
Adopted:
  Coburn Amendment No. 1369 (to Amendment No. 1365), to require 
expenditures by every Senate office be posted online for the public to 
review.                                                  
Pages S7121-22
  DeMint Amendment No. 1370 (to Amendment No. 1365), to direct the 
Architect of the Capitol to engrave the Pledge of Allegiance to the 
Flag and the National Motto of ``In God We Trust'' in the Capitol 
Visitor Center.                                          
Pages S7123-24
  Nelson (NE) Amendment No. 1365, in the nature of a substitute. 
                                                         Pages S7121-26
Rejected:
  By 31 yeas to 61 nays (Vote No. 215), McCain Amendment No. 1366 (to 
Amendment No. 1365), to strike the earmark for the Durham Museum in 
Omaha, Nebraska.                                  
Pages S7121, S7125-26
  During consideration of this measure today, Senate took the following 
action:
  Chair sustained a point of order against DeMint Amendment No. 1367 
(to Amendment No. 1365), to amend title 31, United States Code, to 
reform the manner in which the Board of Governors of the Federal 
Reserve System is audited by the Comptroller General of the United 
States and the manner in which such audits are reported, as being in 
violation of Rule XVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, which 
prohibits legislation on an appropriation bill, and the amendment thus 
fell.                                                       
Pages S7124
   By 70 yeas to 23 nays (Vote No. 216), Senate determined that the 
point of order against Nelson (NE) Amendment No. 1365 (listed above), 
as being in violation of article 1, section 8 and the 10th Amendment of 
the United States Constitution, was not well-taken.          
Page S7126
  Senate insisted on its amendment, asks for a conference with the 
House thereon, and the Chair was authorized to appoint the following 
conferees on the part of the Senate: Senators Nelson (NE), Inouye, 
Pryor, Tester, Murkowski, and Cochran.                       
Page S7132

[[Page D782]]

Nominations Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nominations:
  Stephen Alan Owens, of Arizona, to be Assistant Administrator for 
Toxic Substances of the Environmental Protection Agency.
  Daniel Ginsberg, of the District of Columbia, to be an Assistant 
Secretary of the Air Force.                          
Pages S7150, S7151
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations:
  John M. McHugh, of New York, to be Secretary of the Army.
  Patricia D. Cahill, of Missouri, to be a Member of the Board of 
Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for a term 
expiring January 31, 2014.
  Anthony Marion Babauta, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of 
the Interior.
  Samuel D. Hamilton, of Mississippi, to be Director of the United 
States Fish and Wildlife Service.
  Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., of Utah, to be Ambassador to the People's 
Republic of China.
  Douglas W. Kmiec, of California, to be Ambassador to the Republic of 
Malta.
  Earl Michael Irving, of California, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom 
of Swaziland.
  Jonathan S. Addleton, of Georgia, to be Ambassador to Mongolia.
  Gayleatha Beatrice Brown, of New Jersey, to be Ambassador to Burkina 
Faso.
  David H. Thorne, of Massachusetts, to be Ambassador to the Italian 
Republic, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation 
as Ambassador to the Republic of San Marino.
  George H. Cohen, of Virginia, to be Federal Mediation and 
Conciliation Director.
  Joseph A. Main, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
Mine Safety and Health.
  Rafael Borras, of Maryland, to be Under Secretary for Management, 
Department of Homeland Security.
  Peggy E. Gustafson, of Illinois, to be Inspector General, Small 
Business Administration.                                     
Page S7151
Nomination Withdrawn: Senate received notification of withdrawal of the 
following nomination:
  Philip Mudd, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary for Intelligence and 
Analysis, Department of Homeland Security, which was sent to the Senate 
on May 4, 2009.                                              
Page S7151
Messages from the House:                                     
  Page S7135
Measures Referred:                                           
  Page S7135
Measures Placed on the Calendar:                             
  Page S7136
Measures Read the First Time:                                
  Page S7136
Executive Communications:                                
  Pages S7136-38
Petitions and Memorials:                                     
  Page S7138
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages S7139-42
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:              
  Pages S7142-50
Additional Statements:                                   
  Pages S7133-35
Amendments Submitted:                                        
  Page S7150
Record Votes: Three record votes were taken today. (Total--217) 
                                                     Pages S7126, S7127
Adjournment: Senate convened at 2 p.m. and adjourned at 7:12 p.m., 
until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7, 2009. (For Senate's program, see the 
remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page S7150.)